Ask Stanford Med about headache pain

The SCOPE Blog reports that headaches are the most common form of pain. The condition affects an estimated 60 million Americans and accounts for $30 billion in lost worker productivity. Migraines, which cause pulsating or throbbing pain in the head lasting 4 to 72 hours, affect roughly 12 percent of Americans and more commonly occur in women than men.

“While common treatments range from popping over-the-counter pain pills to lying in a dark room with an ice pack strapped to your head, ROBERT COWAN, director of the Stanford Headache Clinic, will tell you that managing headache disorders goes beyond finding the right remedy and involves determining a proper diagnosis and developing a comprehensive treatment plan,” writes LIA STEAKLEY.

“And he should know: Cowan has suffered migraines his whole life. He understands that the condition can ‘become a footnote, or it can ruin your life.’”

SCOPE asked Cowan to respond to your questions about headache disorders, recent improvements in managing them and the use of a multifaceted approach to treating symptoms.

Questions can be submitted to Cowan by either sending a tweet that includes the hashtag #AskSUMed or posting your question in the comments section of the blog post.

They will collect questions until Friday, March 8, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

For more details and ground rules, read the full blog post here.